UK Retail Sales Surge In April As Stores Reopen

British retail sales surged last month as non-essential stores reopened from virus lockdown, sparking a boom in clothing demand, data showed Friday.

Sales by volume soared 9.2 percent in April from March as Britain’s economy cranked back into action.

“Retail sales volumes grew sharply … reflecting the effect of the easing of coronavirus restrictions,” the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.

Demand for clothing rocketed by almost 70 percent, aided by good weather as consumers splashed their cash on new outfits after one year of lockdowns.

Easing travel restrictions prompted a similar spike in demand for motor fuel.

“Pent-up demand built up during lockdown continues to be released as the reopening of non-essential retail offered the public a welcomed opportunity to visit many of their favourite shop,” said Helen Dickinson, head of the British Retail Consortium.

“Improved weather during April meant greater sales of fashion, particularly in outerwear and knitwear, as the public renewed their wardrobe and made plans to meet friends and family outdoors.”

Overall sales rocketed 42.4 percent compared with April last year, which was the first full month of the initial UK lockdown at the start of the crisis.

Online sales boomed during lockdowns as consumers were forced to shop via their smartphones and computer screens, soaring by 56 percent compared to April 2019 before the pandemic struck.

Britain is exiting lockdowns at a gradual pace, allowing the economy to further recover from pandemic fallout.

At the same time, analysts are fearful that reopening economies will spark a global inflationary spike.

British inflation soared last month to 1.5 percent, the highest level since the early stages of the pandemic, separate data showed earlier this week.